Prior Service Trust Fund gets $1.6M grant

The funding-plagued Prior Service Trust Fund recently got a much-needed shot in the arm when it received a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior.

In a statement from Prior Service, it said that Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Interior David Cohen awarded the grant from a 2004 U.S. Technical Assistance appropriation earmarked by the U.S. Congress for the Prior Service Trust Fund and other high priority projects.

Representing Prior Service at the meeting with Cohen were the Ambassador from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Danny Debrum; Ambassador from the Republic of Palau, Hersey Kyota; chair of the Prior Service board, Jack Niedenthal; Prior Service administrator Jerry Facey and Frank Solomon, adviser to the board.

The statement said the receipt of these monies is the result of the concentrated lobbying effort by Facey and the Prior Service board, and supported by the three Freely Associated States government, their ambassadors to the United States, Gov. Juan N. Babauta and CNMI Washington Rep. Pete A. Tenorio.

“These efforts have been ongoing for several years… This installment is the third major appropriation in the past three years and represents the largest single amount to date,” the statement said.

Previous appropriated amounts totaled just under $2 million. Before this current appropriation the Prior Service Trust Fund was on the verge of running out of money.

The new funding will be used to begin bringing the beneficiary payments up to date over the next 60 to 90 days, continue future payments and also implement a plan that will decentralize the Prior Service Trust Fund.

“The Prior Service administration will continue to seek a final, long-term funding solution before final dissolution of the unified fund is achieved,” the statement said.

The Prior Service Trust Fund provides benefits to citizens of the FSM, Marshall Islands, CNMI and Palau who worked in excess of five years for the U.S. Department of the Navy and the U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands from 1944 through June 30, 1968.

Many Micronesians participated as scouts during the World War II Pacific campaign while working for as little as 9 cents an hour and many dedicated Micronesians worked for the U.S. Navy and during the U.S. government’s operation of the Trust Territory government. The benefits acknowledge gratitude for these services.